A daily diary by John Cossham, who tries to live a 'green' and ethical life......
Daily blog entries for several years but now just occasional diary updates. The 'pages' section is being expanded and updated.

Monday, 23 March 2009

Sunday 22nd March 09

A really good day in any ways, starting with a not too early start, breakfast and back to bed for an hour or less. Because of an outbreak of 'What do I do now'-ness, we rang round various friends but no-one was in or available, so there was a bit of frustration and disruptive behaviour, but we got through it like any parent has to.

I had a very productive day, including visiting the Co-op and stocking up on cereals, visiting Country Fresh and buying spuds and a cauliflower, and bringing back about 5 boxes of compostables, coming back via Freshways and collecting another 2 sacks of compostable stuff plus about 20 loaves which I'll dry next to the stove until crisp and fuel-like, re-built a large pallet bin and lined it with chicken wire salvaged from the skip in Tang Hall last week, cut down yet more brambles, shredded them and put layers of this with layers of the fruit/veg 'resources' in the new pallet bin, and did some weeding in the raspberry area, prior to top dressing with compost. I also did a bit more riddling of the contents of a dalek bin, which so far has resulted in 4 sacks of compost/loam mix, which will form the basis of this year's tomato/cucumber crop. At one stage during the day I persuaded one of the children to actually help in the garden; he pruned a load of ivy which was taking over the fernery. Good work!

This evening I did a load of washing up and more fruit for drying, another load of apples and pears. At about 11pm, Gill told me she'd got a DVD out when she had taken back an old one to Blockbusters... she'd got 'WALL.E' out, as she and the kids had seen it at City Screen in town and she thought I must see it, as I'd like the theme of recycling... Well I have kinda half watched it and yes, I do like it, to some extent. I'm not particularly into animation of the kiddie kind but I'm glad that I at least know what it's about!

Spent some time exploring the new improved vyouz network, which include vskips, the virtual skip site where things can be offered and requested, to stop them going to landfill, and bornrecycling, which enables people to 'give away, swap, sell or request all manner of baby items from cots and cribs to bottles and bibs'... what an excellent idea! I posted a couple of offers on vskips: compost, and paper sacks. The vyouz network is worth exploring as it has more than just these websites.

2 comments:

We've got WALL.E on DVD also! Great intro to sustainable living for kids.

I first saw it after coming back from Monks Cross, the day after Boxing Day, have got depressed about all the people scurrying madly about trying to buy as much "stuff" in the sales as they could!

The film made me feel even worse!!

Bulletin: have just landed myself an allotment! Only half a plot but a start nonetheless. Have you ever used www.growveg.com with it's garden planner? - highly recommended for a novice like me!! Discovered it in Permaculture Mag.

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About Me

I am a very enthusiastic 'green' and am involved in a range of projects and community groups which are directly connected with sustainability. These include the Green Party, York in Transition, St Nicholas Fields , Frack-Free York, The World Naked Bike Ride, Alternatives to Violence Project, and others. . . . . . . . . .
I am happily married with two children, and am unconventional and a free thinker, with a very tolerant wife! . . . . . . . . .
I work as an entertainer, 'Professor Fiddlesticks' teaching circus skills and making people happy, since 1992. see wwww.professorfiddlesticks.co.uk
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A few years ago, I wrote a blog and column for Community Care, see www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/green-living/ .
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In early 2010 I was invited by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce to apply for Fellowship. . . . . . .
To contact me 'off blog' either find me on Facebook or email me at
jscossham(at)gmail(dot)com